Browsing by Subject "Growth and Development"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Developing Agronomics of Intermediate Wheatgrass as a Perennial Grain
    (2017-08) Frahm, Charles
    The forage species intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium L.; IWG) is being developed for use as a perennial grain crop. Field tests have shown that improved IWG populations are suitable for many food applications, creating demand for IWG grain. A lack of understanding of IWG characteristics related to grain production has limited the ability for researchers to recommend best management practices for increasing grain yields. By describing IWG development through quantitative modeling, useful information was generated to apply practical management decisions in future production of IWG. A production challenge limiting IWG grain production is stem lodging, which hinders pollination, grain fill, and reduces overall grain quantity. The second objective of this research was to measure the effect of plant growth regulators (PGRs) on IWG grain yield. Results show that applying PGRs at rates recommended for other grass species has the potential to increase IWG grain yields.
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    Information technology and the Indian economy.
    (2011-03) Vig, Jyoti
    Using a multi-sector growth model this thesis attempts to capture the impact of the information technology sector on the growth of the Indian economy. I focus attention on three structural features. Specifically a movement towards services and a decrease in agriculture as a share of GDP, a sharp increase in merchandise and services trade and a sharp increase in GDP growth rate from the period 2004 to 2009. I ask the question whether the four sector Ramsey model can capture these structural features? An important input into the growth model is the econometric work on firm level panel data. Using firm level data obtained from NASSCOM and the CMIE database I carry out production function estimation and create an aggregate productivity index using the Bailey, Hulten and Campbell or the BHC index. The parameters or coefficients of capital, labor and intermediate goods are obtained using the Levinsohn-Petrin method in order to obtain consistent estimates and to account for the endogeneity problem arising from OLS estimates. These coefficients are then used to evaluate aggregate levels of capital and labor used in the IT sector. These aggregate measures of inputs are used in the social accounting matrix constructed using the GTAP database for India for the base year 2001. The growth model is characterized by three final goods agriculture, manufacturing and services and one intermediate good stylized as information technology. Using a social accounting matrix (from GTAP) for the base year 2001 as input into the growth model, we compare the output of the baseline to WDI data. We observe a close fit of GDP and sectoral output for the period 1991 to 2003, however the model output severally undershoots thereafter. We apply a parametric experiment on our original baseline model and observe a similar trend. This shows that information technology accounts for growth trends for the period 1991 to 2003 but cannot account for the sharp acceleration in the GDP growth rate for the period thereafter. The model however does account for the increase in services as a share of GDP, an increase in the contribution of services in the growth of GDP and the sharp increase in exports of IT. Using firm level panel data we simulate shocks to the TFP parameter and observe the above trends repeating for every case.
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    International specialization in research & development
    (2014-07) Evrin, Alperen
    In this paper, I examine the effects of implementing tighter Intellectual Property Rights in a model of International Trade. In my model, firms in different countries have the choice of committing their resources to introducing new products (product innovation) or to imitating and improving upon current products (process innovation). I analyze the impact of stronger patents on innovation decisions, overall welfare and the distribution of welfare among countries. I show that, depending on parameter values, firms in developed countries (North) may altogether specialize in product innovation or may attain incomplete specialization in the sense that some innovate and some imitate. Welfare analysis will depend on the degree of specialization. In the case of incomplete specialization, tighter IPRs increase the incentives for product innovation in the North but, at the same time, increase the imitation done in the South. This finding is contrary to the conventional argument that states the reverse for imitation rates. In the case of complete specialization, stronger patents do not affect the rate of product innovation but reduce the rate of imitation, and welfare is nonmonotonic in IPRs. Finally, I examine the case of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and predict that stronger patents will increase the FDI while lowering the wages worldwide.
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    International specialization in research & development
    (2014-07) Evrin, Alperen
    In this paper, I examine the effects of implementing tighter Intellectual Property Rights in a model of International Trade. In my model, firms in different countries have the choice of committing their resources to introducing new products (product innovation) or to imitating and improving upon current products (process innovation). I analyze the impact of stronger patents on innovation decisions, overall welfare and the distribution of welfare among countries. I show that, depending on parameter values, firms in developed countries (North) may altogether specialize in product innovation or may attain incomplete specialization in the sense that some innovate and some imitate. Welfare analysis will depend on the degree of specialization. In the case of incomplete specialization, tighter IPRs increase the incentives for product innovation in the North but, at the same time, increase the imitation done in the South. This finding is contrary to the conventional argument that states the reverse for imitation rates. In the case of complete specialization, stronger patents do not affect the rate of product innovation but reduce the rate of imitation, and welfare is nonmonotonic in IPRs. Finally, I examine the case of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and predict that stronger patents will increase the FDI while lowering the wages worldwide.
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    Orbital Volume Changes During Growth And Development In Human Children Assessed Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography
    (2020-04) Smith, Eric
    Purpose: To measure growth-related changes in orbital volume from childhood to the late teenage years. Design: A retrospective cohort study. Subjects: Healthy Caucasian children (ages 6–18 years) with existing serial craniofacial cone-beam computed tomography scans. The final sample consisted of 65 subjects (24 male, 41 female) and a total of 300 separate orbits. Methods: Each orbit was transformed into a closed space with well-defined boundaries, and orbital volume was measured using manual segmentation. A novel statistical analysis was applied to extract the maximum amount of longitudinal information from the data. Intra- and inter-operator correlation coefficients were calculated from replications performed on 10% of the sample. Main Outcome Measures: Orbital volume (mm3). Results: Orbital volume was found to increase at a rate of 1–2% annually until the late teenage years. Intra- and inter-operator agreement between repeated measurements were >90%. Conclusions: Orbital volume increases by 1–2% per year throughout childhood continuing until the late teens. Although this annual increase is small, it may be clinically relevant as it may lead to less-than-optimal long term surgical outcomes when reconstructive surgery for the pediatric anophthalmic socket is required.